Tech isn't innocent

Hi, I’m Maureen and I work as a product designer and design content creator.
The Cursor Magazine is my online publication on design and career.

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When I read the book The People vs. Tech by Jamie Bartlett a few years ago, it left a big impact on me. Jamie Bartlett argues that social media, big data and AI takes away the foundations of democracy by spreading misinformation, enabling surveilling and concentrating power in the hands of big tech companies. His book dives into how these companies play a role in polarising societies and manipulating public opinion and manage get away with it.

Even though the book was published in 2018, it’s more relevant than ever. Just take a look at Elon Musk’s bromance with Trump and Zuckerberg’s announcement to replace “too politically biased” fact-checkers with community notes and his commitment to “free speech.”

Are we surprised? Tech companies have actual political influence and we’ve already been seeing this since the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018.

Although I think Bartlett’s view on technology is very negative, it did change the way I think about my career as a product designer. There’s a lot of romanticisation around working for a FAANG company in our industry and it still is an important marker for recruiters to invite you for an interview, according to this post by NYC-based recruiter Hang Xu.

However, my view on big tech companies has been more sceptical ever since diving deeper into how the men of big tech don’t only run their companies but by now also run politics. While working at Facebook might mean a good compensation and another name for your impressive resume, it also means working on and for a product that is becoming more and more a political vehicle instead of a casual way to connect with friends.

My favorite reads to learn about tech

Apart from Bartlett’s The People vs Tech, there are more books that impacted my view on tech and helped me better understand the influence of tech and design on our society and democracy.

Invisible Women

by Caroline Criado Perez, Author website

Invisible women dives deeper into how the world, our tools and our policies are designed by and for men. As a woman reading the book, it confirms a lot of things you feel are a certain way and backs it up by extensive research. It shows how the male body and needs are used as a standard, leading to less consideration of the female experience and how that can have serious health implications for women. The book also shows how this isn’t intentional - it’s our bias to see the male gender as default.

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power

by Shoshana Zuboff, Author website

I’m not going to lie: this book needs determination because it is not an easy read. With 525 pages of academic writing, it’s not a relaxing novel to spend your Sunday afternoon with and I’m still making my way through it. Especially as someone who really enjoyed reading Orwell’s 1984, this book reads as a reflection of Orwell’s dystopia but taking place our real world of the 21st century.

Good Services: How to design services that work

by Lou Down, Author website

You probably have had your fair share dealing with government instances and working your way through forms with jargon you don’t understand (shout out to my German readers.) This can be done better, right? Right. Lou Downe gives us 15 principles to follow for designing good services in this easy but insightful read.

CAPS LOCK: How capitalism took hold of graphic design and how to escape from it

by Ruben Pater, Publisher website

This book is written through the lens of graphic design but many of the ideas and concepts that are discussed here apply to design as a wider discipline. This is a great book to flip through and read whatever catches your eye. All chapters as pretty much stand-alone essays that explore the design identity from different perspectives, like the designer as brander or the designer as entrepreneur. My favourite parts of the book are:

• The Designer as Worker (p.239)

• The Designer as Educator (p.341)

• The Designer as Philanthropist (p.419)

Also check out this nifty website here:

visit Marisa’s website: mindfuldesigntechnologist.xyz

Marisa, whom you might know as designteamofone on Instagram, got inspired and made a website showcasing some of these books alongside more of my favorites. Go have a look!

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Have you read any books on tech that changed your view? Please let me know in the comments below, as I’m always on the look out for new stuff to read!

In the next publication: The Fall of Figma?

I’ll explore how the public opinion on Figma seemingly has changed in the past two years and what factors contributed to that.

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